Top 100: Batteries > EEStor >EEStor: The Story So Far - EEStor announced Tuesday that they third party validation of the equipment, procedures and techniques has been completed. The company says its technology can provide 10 times the energy of lead-acid batteries at one tenth the weight and half the price. (Earth2Tech; July 30, 2008)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Featured: Water as Fuel > Electrolysis > Water-Fueled Car from Sri Lanka - A Sri Lankan inventor has come up with a super-efficient electrolysis method that allegedly enables a small vehicle to travel 80 kilometres on just one litre of water, without any danger to life or any impact on the environment. (PESWiki; July 23, 2008)

Biofuels > Biodiesel >Colorado researches study biodiesel-producing tree - Researchers at the University of Northern Colorado are cloning the genes responsible for the production of oleoresin, a diesel-like fuel, produced in the copaiba or "diesel tree". The genes will then be transferred into plants and algae to determine which plants are compatible and can produce the most biodiesel. (Biodiesel Magazine; July 29, 2008)

Solar > Vehicles >Does Car-Mounted Solar Make Sense? - Most onboard solar systems to date have cost several thousand dollars while generating less than 100 watts of energy, improving a vehicle's fuel efficiency by just a few percent; while it takes kilowatts to drive the car. (Technology review; July 14, 2008)

Cold Fusion > Sonofusion >Welcome to Bubblegate - In Defense of nuclear engineer and Purdue professor Rusi Taleyarkhan, who is being accused of scientific fraud, cold fusion expert, Steven Krivit, points out that the failure to replicate the Bubble/Sonofusion effect doesn't mean it didn't happen in the first place. (New Energy Times; July 28, 2008)

Biofuels / Biomass >Boosting Cellulosic Biofuels - A molybdenum sulphate catalyst developed by Dow in the 1980s improves the syngas-conversion process, and could theoretically achieve production rates of 130 gallons of alcohol per ton of biomass, compared to the 60-to-80-gallon yields produced by existing biochemical fermentation plants. (MIT Technology Review; July 28, 2008)

Wind > Farms >How China is backing the power of wind - Dabancheng, 'The Three Gorges of the sky' is a spectacular sight: fields of spinning blades harvesting energy and transforming it into electricity for the nearby city of Urumqi. Since 2005, the country's wind generation capacity has increased by more than 100% a year. (Khaleej Times; July 27, 2008) (Thanks Adrian Akau)

Electric Vehicles > Real-World Electric Vehicle Fuel Cost - The Japan EV Club drove a Mitsubishi i MiEV and a Subaru R1e 533.57 miles from Tokyo to Hokkaido in the week before the G8 summit. The electricity fuel cost was $16.94, compared to $121.34 for a comparable gasoline car. (AutoblogGreen; July 19, 2008)

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Featured: Free Energy / Open Source >Free Energy and the Open Source Movement Series - In this series of articles, Steve Windisch examines several “Free Energy�? devices, explains their workings in a simplified way, while discussing the proposed theories behind them. Interviews look at new inventors and researchers working within the Open Source Energy movement today. (PESWiki; July 20, 2008)

Global Warming >Changes In Winds Could Have Been Cause Of Abrupt Glacial Climatic Change - Spanish and German researchers have carried out a collaborative study that shows how during the last glacial period, small variations in the surface winds could have induced significant changes in the oceanic currents of the North Atlantic, and could even have played a role in the abrupt climate change that occurred at the time. (Science Daily; July 21, 2008)

Buyer Beware >Aged Tires: A Driving Hazard? (Video) - Did you know vehicle tires have a shelf life? Check the inside rim of the tire and look at the last digit of the 3 or 4-digit sequence. If it is over 6 years old, the chance of tire separation is much greater. "New" tires need to be checked for manufacturing date. (ABC News; July 18, 2008)

Fuel Cells >Solar and hydrogen fuel cell boat prepares for voyage - The Pangea Expedition sailboat, though it will rely on its sails for most of its propulsion, uses a hydrogen fuel cell for power when it cuts through icy Arctic waters. Solar panels on the surface of the cockpit power the process of electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The split hydrogen is transferred into a storing device, which can then be used to run the fuel cell. (Plenty; July, 2008)

Wind > Largest >Green light for massive wind farm - Plans to build Europe's largest onshore wind farm in South Lanarkshire have been approved. The under-construction wind farm will have a total capacity of 322MW. Currently the biggest operational wind farm in Europe is the Maranchon wind farm in Guadalajara, Spain, which has a generating capacity of 208MW. (BBC Newss; July 21, 2008)

Storage / Wind > Power Storage for the Smart Grid - The Ring Power Multiplier (RPM) could provide an effective solution to the grid security versus wind power bottleneck. RPM is the only known energy storage system that stores real AC power at 60 Hz, which is instantaneously and continuously available, and can be deployed across an entire network, acting as an elastic reservoir.

Solar >First Solar: Quest for the $1 Watt - The secret involves not the photovoltaic cell itself but the way in which it is manufactured. Instead of the familiar silicon, the design uses a compound of cadmium and tellurium. Previously limited to cell sizes not much larger than a postage stamp, First Solar has now refined the manufacturing procedure to blow up the cells to poster size. (PhysOrg; July 23, 2008)

Electric Cars >Grove Invokes Paranoia to Prove Only Electric Vehicles Survive - Grove, 71, who revolutionized production of devices at the heart of computers, is exploiting his name and ties to investors and politicians to jump-start a similar advance in battery-run vehicles. His idea is to refit millions of gas-guzzling autos to run on electricity part-time and convince carmakers to adopt so- called open source rules on advanced technology so that Americans can convert their cars. (Bloomberg; July 21, 2008)

Investment Resources >Tax Credits Available to Energy Investors (8-page PDF) - Energy tax credits could provide the necessary incentive for investors to invest in preferred energy. These credits, however, are not freely granted to every type of project or even every type of investor.. (PennNet; July 15, 2008)

Electromagnetic >Electric Motor Design Cuts Energy Use in Half - Thor Power is commercializing a new electric motor design that generates twice the power at half the weight and double the efficiency of existing electric motors. This cuts the consumers' operating costs by 50%, for applications like refrigerators and air conditioners. (Ben Franklin Technology Partners)

Batteries > EEStor >EEStor Beyond Permitivity- On one end of the facility, there are raw chemicals and the other end is a printing facility that prints capacitors 24 inches round and then cuts them to spec as at an Integrated Circuit Fabrication Plant. What Weir is building is a blueprint of a fully integrated, fully automated production line. This is a "no touch" production line from start to finish. (BariumTitanate Blog; July 18, 2008)

Geothermal >In the Push for Alternative Energy, What Happened to Geothermal? - Today, geothermal provides about 5 percent of the country's energy, compared with about 3 percent for wind and 1 percent for solar. And there is some reason to be optimistic. Private investment is up, domestic use is steadily growing, and soaring energy prices have made previously prohibitive start-up costs economical. (US News; July 21, 2008)

Conventional Renewable Energy >Al Gore's Inconvenient Plan - "Al Gore said that the United States should produce all of its electricity from carbon-free, renewable energy within 10 years. Although he didn't lay out specifics, he seems to want to do it with wind, solar, and geothermal, although it's not clear from his speech whether nuclear would be acceptable. Can it be done? It isn't likely." (MIT Technology Review; July 18, 2008)

Monday, July 21, 2008

Featured: Wind > Vertical AxisTangarie Alternative Power's spiral wind turbine - The Greenpower Utility System line of vertical axis wind turbines produces up to 50% more electricity on an annual basis, generates electricity in winds as low as 4 mph (1.5 m/s), and continues to generate power in wind speeds up to 130 mph (60m/s). It withstands extreme weather such as frost, ice, sand, humidity; and is low-noise. (PESWiki)

Building > Zero Emission House on Display at the Hokkaido Toyako Summit - This house of the near future, will be equipped with a photovoltaic power generation system, fuel cells, advanced robots, and other cutting-edge technologies. The house is part of the Environmental Showcase hosted by the Japanese government. (METI Press Release; June 2008)

Communities >Renew Iowa: Abundance Ecovillage - At a unique community nestled atop 15 acres in the Iowa countryside you won't see cars driving up and down any main street, but you will see several small homes surrounded by solar panels and a wind turbine on the horizon. The entire village is off the power grid. All the homes use solar and wind energy. (WhoTV; Feb. 2, 2008)

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Featured: Fuel Efficiency > Hypermiling >Slowing Down Doesn't Always Save Money - Vehicles are designed to achieve optimal efficiency at certain engine rpms and speeds. Going slower can actually use more fuel over the same distance, especially at much lower speeds. The Nissan Quest minivan does 35 mpg at 75 mph, wherease it only gets 30 mpg at 55 mph. (PESWiki; July 19, 2008)

Top 100: BlackLight Power >BlackLight's physics-defying promise: Cheap power from water - While his business has been working on the "BlackLight Process" since its inception almost two decades ago, Dr. Randall Mills developed the patented cocktail that enables the reaction - a solid fuel made of hydrogen and a sodium hydride catalyst - only a year ago. Now the device is allegedly ready for commercialization. (Next Big Future; July 9, 2008) (CNN Money; July 2)

Electrical Grid >'Gore wants U.S. electricity grid to run on renewable energy by 2018 - Military-intelligence studies warning of "dangerous national security implications" tied to climate change, including the possibility of "hundreds of millions of climate refugees" causing instability around the world, and Al Gore said the United States is dangerously vulnerable because of its reliance on foreign oil. (International Herald Tribune; July 17, 2008)

Biodiesel / Algae for Oil >Maui to Get Algae Facility for Biodiesel - Recognizing the potential for algae as an energy crop, a Hawaiian conglomerate has come together to pursue the joint development of a commercial-scale microalgae facility on Maui to produce lipid oil for conversion to biodiesel and other products, such as animal feed. (CleanTechnica; July 15, 2008)

Electric Cars > Preview of the Ze-O Electric MPV - NICE Car Company presented the Ze-O electric MPV, which is coming to the UK this Autumn and to the rest of Europe during 2009. It will have a range of up to 65 miles (105 km) in city driving and top speed of 55 mph (89 kph). (Green Car Congress; July 14, 2008)

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Biodiesel from Algae Oil > Hawaiian Marine Algae - Cellana, a joint venture of HR Biopetroleum and Royal Dutch Shell is doing a pilot project to grow and refine algae for biofuels. The company is already producing transport fuels and is building a bigger, demonstration plant. First commercial operation: 3 years. (NewEnergyNews; June 27, 2008)

Air Conditioning >Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning - HSWAC will reduce Hawaii's dependence on imported oil used to generate electricity and dramatically reduce operating costs for downtown building owners. Deep seawater will be drawn at a temperature of about 45°F and pumped to a cooling station onshore. (RenewableEnergyWorld; July 9, 2008)

Fuel Cells / EVs > Swift Enterprises' Cheaper Fuel Cell - The Swift Direct Proton Fuel Cell developed at Purdue University is based on simple and easy-to-produce materials. It runs on ethanol to extend an electric vehicle’s range to over 100 miles per gallon, at a cost of about $2,000.

Electric Cars >500 electric Minis coming to California - Five-hundred Minis will come off the line in Oxford, England sans drivetrain. The powerless shells will be sent to Germany painted silver with contrasting yellow roofs. Workers in Munich will convert the vehicles into battery electrics, and the cars will then be shipped to California where they will be offered for sale. (AutoblogGreen; July 9, 2008)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Featured: OS > What You Can Expect Open Sourcing Energy Technology - Sterling Allan describes how an ideal open source energy technology might roll out from beginning -- even before it is publicly posted -- through the time of early replications, to end when it spreads throughout the earth to bless mankind. (PESWiki; July 13, 2008)

Flight > Why Fly When You Can Float? - As the cost of fuel soars and the pressure mounts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, several schemes for a new generation of airship are being considered by governments and private companies. Cloud is a flying hotel proposed by French designer Jean-Marie Massaud. (New York Times; July 5, 2008)

Conservation > Virtualization Servers: The New Green Platform for IT - Virtualization makes it possible to consolidate multiple applications onto a single server. That is, apps that currently run on dedicated systems can be moved en masse to a single server that consumes less power -- generally, far less power -- than that required by the dedicated servers. (Greener Computing; July 9, 2008)

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Solar > Vehicles > Hot New Solar Hybrid by Mindset AG - The Swiss company Mindset AG has announced that it is planning to produce an ultra-lightweight hybrid vehicle with roof-mounted solar panels. The hybrid coupe, dubbed Six50, is the work of former VW head of design Murat Günak. (Inhabitat; July 8, 2008)

Hydrogen > Unveiling of Home-Brewed Hydrogen-Fuel Unit - A British company, ITM Power thinks it has the answer that could kick-start a hydrogen-based economy: A home based refuelling system. The station overcomes one of the fundamental stumbling blocks to a hydrogen economy – the lack of hydrogen refueling infrastructure and utility supply network. (Red Herring; July 9, 2008)

Biofuels > Colombia finds biofuels bonanza in sugar cane - Colombia is a technological leader in the field and is experimenting with biofuel production using everything from sugar beets and palm oil to yucca. Colombian experts are helping companies in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador set up ethanol plants.(Chron.com; July 4, 2008)

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Featured / Top 100: Solar > Thin Film > Dye Sensitized > G24 Innovations Ltd rolls out solar - Automated "roll-to-roll" manufacturing process transforms a lightweight roll of metal foil into a 100-pound half-mile of G24i’s Dye Sensitized Thin Film in less than three hours. This material is rugged, flexible, lightweight and generates electricity even indoors and in low light conditions. (PESWiki)

Grid > Extra water, wind strain Northwest power grid - The Northwest is awash in electric power this spring. Rivers are swollen. Columbia River dams are running full bore. Wind farm blades are spinning. "If you have electricity but no one needs it, sometimes you have to pay someone to take it." (The Oregonian; June 27, 2008)

Monday, July 7, 2008

Featured: Wind > Floating >HeliWind's twist on floating wind generation - The HeliWind design by the Hawaii Consulting Group replaces the blades and tower of a conventional wind turbine with a lighter-than-air helical balloon and lowers the generator to the ground. With generating costs expected at around $0.034/kW-hr, the design is expected to go into production in June 2011. (PESWiki; July 6, 2008)

Thermal Electric > Beakon Technologies - Developing next generation thermoelectric device with efficiencies 10-15 times that of today’s Peltier-elements and 30% higher than compressors. The Beakon chip can provide a cooling solution for applications like computers, cell phones, lasers but also replace traditional cooling systems like the compressor in a refrigerator. (Beakon Technologies; July 6, 2008)

EVs > Tesla Motors, Inc. > Model S Goes to the Bay Area - California is the right location for Tesla’s manufacturing facility; operational advantages close to management and engineering teams, proximity to important markets and Governor Schwarzenegger’s commitment to leading the nation and the world in addressing climate and energy concerns. (Video) (Tesla Blog; June 30, 2008)

Hydrogen > Fuel Cells > Hydrogen Buses Fuel Seaworld's Latest Environmental Initiative - The Ford E450 shuttles at SeaWorld deliver up to 99.7 percent reduction in C02 emissions and include many of the benefits of a hydrogen fuel cell, but at a fraction of the cost. These Ford E-450 shuttles are powered by internal combustion V-10 engines that are modified to run on hydrogen, rather than gasoline. (Ford; Feb. 28, 2008)

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Featured / Top 100: Wind > Vertical Axis >TESNIC vertical-axis wind turbine - The TESNIC is based on the principles of the Tesla turbine, extracting the wind power via adhesion, in addition to the classic drag and lift extraction, enabling it to achieve a very high efficiency, with the potential cost of electricity produced below the utility price.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Featured / Top 100: Wind > Horizontal Axis >Interview with Broadstar Wind Systems - Like a wind surfer, the horizontal blades of the Broadstar turbine change their angle of attack as they go around the perimeter, so that they are generating torque in nearly every position. It is much easier to ship and assemble these units because the largest components can be fit in 20-foot shipping containers. (FreeEnergyNow; June 30, 2008)

Algae for Oil > Scum Power - Today, the cheapest algae production costs $5,000 per ton. If crude oil stays at its lofty price, algae-based oil could be competitively priced in five years if engineers and scientists can improve algae productivity per acre. (Video) (Wall Street Journal; June 30, 2008)

Friday, July 4, 2008

Featured: Solar > Concentrated >Sopogy Concentrated Solar - Recently named the "Venture Capital Deal of the Year," Sopogy specializes in MicroCSP solar technologies that bring the economics of large solar energy systems to the industrial, commercial and utility sectors in a smaller, robust and more cost effective package. (PESWiki; July 2, 2008)

Current events > SolFest XIII - SolFest is the world’s premier two-day celebration of renewable energy and sustainable living. Since SolFest was born in 1996 over 100,000 people have learned how to change the world while having fun. Each summer SolFest transforms the rural hamlet of Hopland, California, into the global epicenter of green living. August 16-17, 2008. (SolarLiving; July 2, 2008)

Electric Vehicles > Plug-ins > TARDEC Hybrid Electric Humvee - TARDEC, working alongside DRS Technologies, has designed and developed a highly efficient, mobile power source demonstrator – the XM1124 Hybrid Electric Humvee, an advanced hybrid electric vehicle that houses an engine/generator as the prime power source, a high voltage battery pack for short term load leveling and brake event energy storage, and has the ability to export power. (EngineeringTV; July 2, 2008)

Events / Algae > National Algae Association Business Plan and Networking Forum - Business plans will be reviewed by the executive committee for potential commercial production of Algae. Only 10 business plans will be picked to present to the National Algae Association next quarterly meeting on July 17, 2008 in Texas. (National Algae Association; July 2, 2008)

Batteries > Advanced Battery Market Review - A quick perspective puts the size of the conventional lead-acid battery somewhere between $30-40 billion, while the lithium ion market is estimated at $6 billion and doubling every year. And while interest in lithium tends to overshadow nickel metal hydride (NiMH), the latter will continue to play a strong roll in certain HEV applications. Video (EVWorld; July 2, 2008)

Events > SolWest Fair - Renewable Energy Expo - Running July 25 - 27, 2008 in Oregon, this event offers engaging activities for all ages and knowledge levels. Participants from around the western region and beyond come to join the SolWest community and learn about energy efficiency, solar and wind energy, alternatively fueled vehicles and more. PSA Video (SolWest; July 2, 2008)

Storage / Solar > The Molten Salt Solution to Storing Solar Energy - The difference between the molten salt and other liquids that are used in this sort of system is that the molten salt retains heat for a long enough time that it can effectively time-shift the stored solar energy from when it is most efficiently generated to when it is most needed. (Video) (TreeHugger; June 30, 2008)

Solar > Concentrated > Ausra Opens First U.S. Solar Thermal Power Factory - Ausra, the developer of utility-scale solar thermal power headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, officially opened the reflector production line of its first North American manufacturing and distribution center in Las Vegas. At full capacity, it will annually produce more than 700 megawatts of solar collectors. (Ausra News Release; June 30, 2008)